Jordan Gaza: Teenager, Ninja Princess, Professional Fighter.

I had the chance to have a conversations with up and coming female Mixed Martial Artist, Jordan Gaza. Had I not previously known she's only 19, I would've thought she was in her mid twenties. Her grace, poise  and maturity are very evident. If you don't know Jordan, you need to.

1MR: You were a high school cheerleader. How did you make the transition from cheerleading to MMA?

JG: I was a cheerleader pretty much my whole life. I also ran cross country, played volleyball, basketball and track. I did a lot of sports, but cheerleading was my main thing. In middle school, I got in to Jiu Jitsu to try something new. I really liked it and started competing.

I was doing really well in competitions and started putting my videos on YouTube and online. I really started promoting myself at a young age. Everyone at my gym was doing MMA, and at the time I hated it. I didn’t want to get hit in the face, I just wanted to do Jiu Jitsu.

I started sparring with some if the guys and it took off from there. I actually balanced cheerleading and MMA very well my senior year. I had 3 fights and I was a cheerleader. It was a pretty easy transition for me.

1MR: What made you decide you were ready to transition to professional MMA?

JG: Most of my amateur fights were very professional as far as the way they were put on and the promotions I fought for, so it was an easy transition. I would say that the only thing that was different was getting paid.

1MR: Have you noticed a change in the level of competition between amateur and pro?

JG: It depends. I’ve fought some really tough girls. In my last fight, she (Paige Vanzant) wasn’t that good. People have their on and off days, and that was definitely an off day for me. 

 

1MR: What is like for you to be in a still mostly male dominated sport?

JG: I come from a small town, and everyone’s an MMA fighter. I have guys that are my coaches, and guys that treat me like their little sister. Then there are guys that have big egos and go crazy when we spar. I’m very careful with that. I make sure I trust the guys that I’m sparring with because, you know, they can really hurt you.

 

1MR: Looking at women’s MMA, where do you see it going in the next few years?

JG: I’m hoping that it gets bigger. It would be cool to see it make it in the UFC. You never know. Things are always changing. I don’t think Strikeforce is even signing any more women.  They have Invicta now and some other organizations, so we’ll see what happens.

1MR: Speaking of Invicta FC, what are your thoughts on them and what they’re doing for women’s MMA?

JG: It’s so cool that they have some of the best girls on their cards. I would love to fight for them eventually.

 

1MR: You’ve got quite a social media following. How does that impact your MMA career, and how does that affect you as a professional?

JG: It helps me out because I feel like I have a lot of people out there that support me. I want to make everyone proud, whether I know them personally or not. It really motivates me, all the messages I get and all the nice comments. Same thing with the negative stuff, it motivates me too. 

1MR: As with anyone that’s popular, there’s a certain amount of haters and trash talking. How do you deal with that?

JG: I just ignore it now. I’ve dealt with it my whole life. Even going in to middle school, girls hating me because their boyfriends liked me. You get jealous people everywhere you go. I used to get them in Jiu Jitsu when I would compete, so I feel like I’ve always dealt with it. I just ignore it and use it as motivation.

1MR: Who are your favorite fighters, male or female?

JG: I would say, right now, Jon Bones Jones. He’s so young and does a lot of really cool things. As far as female, I don’t have a specific favorite. I have a lot of respect for any female that gets in the cage and fights. 

1MR: I know you and Felice (Herrig) have a pretty good relationship. Tell us about that dynamic.

JG: We both fight at the same weight, and we got some good training in when I went up there (Chicago, Curran’s). She’s been in my corner for two of my fights in Vegas. It’s cool to have friends that fight, and are in your same weight class. A lot of the female fighters have so much in common.

1MR: What did you think of the Sonnen/Silva fight?

JG: It was pretty much what I expected. I knew that Silva was going to take it. I thought it was going to end quicker.

1MR: Who are you training with now, and who helps you prepare for your fights?

JG: I train at Weapons at Hand. I have 3 coaches there that work with me. My main coach is Stacy Jorgensen. I’ve never clicked with a coach like I’ve clicked with him. I have another coach, Rudy, he’s the nice coach. He keeps everything calm. He’s very big brother like. Then there’s my coach Adam Ibarra. He’s really tried to change my standup. He’s really helped me a lot with my standup and kickboxing. All 3 of those guys are very helpful. Then I also go to Gracie Barra for my Jiu Jitsu.

1MR: If you had the opportunity to train anywhere, with anyone, where and who?

JG: I’m not sure. I’ve been a lot of places. I’ve trained with Felice at Curran’s in Chicago and I’ve been to Greg Jackson’s several times. I’ve gone to train with Meisha Tate in California. I’ve also been to a lot of places in Texas, there’s a lot of good gyms around here. I’d like to train in Florida and Vegas. Maybe American Top Team in Florida. And there’s a lot of good gyms in Vegas I’d love to go to.

1MR: Before we go, is there anything you’d like to say to all of your fans and supporters?

JG: Thank you to everyone that supports me. Win or lose, I have a lot of family, friends and fans that are always there for me.

In conclusion, Jordan was a treat to interview, and she's got a very bright future in MMA ahead of her. I hope to do more interviews with this amazing young woman in the future! Be sure to follow her on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/jngaza and on Twitter @jngaza92.